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What Are Some Answers to America’s Gun Violence?

By Michael Gonchar October 23, 2015 5:00 amOctober 23, 2015 5:00 am

Photo

Nick Collins, right, embraced a high school classmate, Nathan Kahn, at the site of an investigation into a murder-suicide in Greenwood, Minn., in September. Related ArticleCredit Jim Gehrz/Star Tribune, via Associated Press

The country is horrified by each mass school shooting — Umquaa Community College, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook Elementary, Columbine. These tragic events grab national headlines and stir political debates about the role of guns in our society. But the vast majority of the more than 30,000 gun deaths each year in the United States are not from mass shootings. In fact, most gun deaths aren’t even homicides or accidental shootings. Instead, they are suicides. And more than 60 percent of people in this country who die from guns die by suicide.

With such a complex problem, what’s the answer to so many gun deaths in the United States?

After the recent shooting in Roseburg, Ore., that killed nine people, many in the local community said they thought that more guns might help keep them safer.

A week has passed since J. J. Vicari huddled underneath a desk while gunshots exploded in the classroom next door. Now he is thinking about guns. Not about tightening gun laws, as President Obama urged after nine people were killed at the community college here. But about buying one for himself.

“It’s opened my eyes,” said Mr. Vicari, 19. “I want to have a gun in the house to protect myself, to protect the people I’m with. I’m sure I’ll have a normal life and never have to go through anything like this, but I want to be sure.”

That sentiment is in line with a common refrain promoted by the National Rifle Association that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

On the other hand, many see the best answer to gun violence as changing the way we see guns. Whether they are intended for hunting, sport or self-defense, guns are a type of potentially dangerous equipment that kills many people, just as cars kill people. In fact, about as many people die each year by firearms as die in motor vehicle traffic deaths.

Not all of those suicides are by gun, but a majority are. And while some people feeling suicidal impulses will choose another method if a gun is not at hand, public health researchers cite two reasons guns are particularly dangerous: 1) Guns are more lethal than most other methods people try, so someone who attempts suicide another way is more likely to survive; 2) Studies suggest that suicide attempts often occur shortly after people decide to kill themselves, so people with deadly means at hand when the impulse strikes are more likely to use them than those who have to wait or plan.

Students: Tell us …

— What’s the answer to so many gun deaths in the United States?

— Do you think it’s possible for the government to find a healthy balance between protecting people’s right to own a gun and public safety? Do you believe the government is currently striking the right balance? Why?

— Would you rather the government err on the side of protecting an individual’s right to own a gun or the public’s health and safety? Or do you feel this is a false choice? Why?

— After mass shootings or renewed fears that the government will ban gun ownership, many people instinctively go out to buy guns — perhaps to feel safer in times of insecurity. Americans own an estimated 300 million guns or more. Do you think people buying more guns will prevent gun deaths?

— Do you find Mr. Kristof’s argument convincing, that guns should be treated as dangerous equipment, like cars, and should therefore have public health research help guide safety regulations, such as car airbags or smart-gun technology, to try to save lives? Or do you see gun safety regulations as just an excuse for taking away people’s right to own a gun?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. All comments are moderated by Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.